Safety
by Moonlight Rings
Summary: They were safe, as long as they held each other.


**Safe**

Chris awoke to the curious tapping of rain on the bedroom window. He opened his dreary eyes, his head heavy with previous nightmares of gore, stumbling figures and deadly silence.

_It's all in your head Redfield._

Of course you couldn't really call them nightmares if they were memories right?

_Yeah sure, all in my head._

He held his hands up to his face and sighed at the darkness surrounding him. These thoughts have plagued him for weeks since that night.

Nightmares he could handle to some degree, what pissed him off was the fact that they followed him into his days, at random too, he would go for a drink and see Wesker's smug-ass grin staring at him from his beer. He would walk into an alley on his way from work and see a drunk man stumble towards him, arms outstretched, this one bastard barely recognised the muzzle of a gun until Chris realised what he was doing and hastily walked away.

_Yeah, PTSD is a bitch._

He considered getting up, going back to sleep just didn't seem appealing at the time when something stirred next to him.

''You awake?'' He asked.

There was a soft shuffling noise. ''Yeah,'' came a tired reply. Jill sat up in one of Chris' t-shirts and yawned, ''Am now.''

''Sorry.''

She placed a hand on his shoulder. ''Don't be. Nightmare?''

He sat up next to her, the moonlight and rain casting patterns on his muscular bare chest and gave a small nod. She gave an understanding look and shuffled closer to him, placing her head on his shoulder.

''Are you in love with it or something?''

Confused, she looked up at his cocky, boyish grin.

''My shoulder, are you in love with it?''

She smiled properly for the first time in a while and rested her head once again. ''It's comfy.'' She muttered.

''Yeah I guessed from the way you sleep on it all of the time.''

''Shut up.'' She said as a yawn escaped her.

Chris chuckled and took hold of her hand. They had been sleeping together (not in _that _way) for a few weeks now. Neither of them wanted to be alone, they realised that after they got over that "Don't worry about me, I'm fine" bullshit when Chris broke the news to her about Umbrella's plans.

She was angry and upset, as he expected, that he didn't tell her about his investigating into Umbrella. She left his apartment after a heated exchange and he followed, unwilling to let her go until she knew how much he trusted her and that he just wanted to protect her. He ended up staying the night, resting not sleeping on her couch, annoyed but unsurprised at how much she rejected his protection.

Typical Jill however.

He started sleeping over after that night, she had woken up screaming and scared. He'd been startled to hear the cry from behind the door and burst in straight away. Jill was sitting bolt upright, eyes wide with fear and shaking violently with her arm outstretched at some unseen enemy. That was the night she asked him to stay with her and he had complied.

There was no awkwardness, on the contrary it was lovely to feel her breath against his neck as she slept.

Jill leaned forward and turned to look him straight in the eyes, her own filled with that ice blue determination he always admired. She seemed pensive with her eye brows knitted together.

''Chris?''

He suddenly felt very awake.''Yeah?''

She seemed hesitant, which was odd. ''If we don't- I mean-'' She sighed, as if irritated. ''If we don't make it through this Chris, if one of Umbrella's psycho's gets to us then-''

He interrupted. ''Don't talk like that Jill-''

So did she. ''Please Chris, this is important to me.'' He stared at her, this was so unlike her. He gave in with a sigh and listened. She smiled, grateful until her face faded back into that pensive almost wistful look.

''If we don't make it through this,Well – I, you've always been there for me even when I've been a bitch and now, after that night at the mansion.'' She paused thoughtfully and looked at him. They had a wordless understanding of each other ''I guess I'm trying to say thank you, Chris.''

He smiled ''It's all right.'' He opened his arms but she placed a hand on his chest.

''I need you to promise me something...''

''What?''

She paused, her eyes downcast.

''If I turn into one of those- _things_, I want you to kill me and forget me.''

It took him a second to register just what exactly she was asking of him.

She was asking him to-

''What?''

To-

''Jill I- I could never!''

She looked sternly at him sternly, almost angrily. ''Chris I would never want to become something like that! Please, if I do kill me!'' Her hand formed into a fist against him.

She was asking him to forget her.

''I would never forget you!'' He protested.

''So you would let me- ''

He took hold of her shoulders. ''Listen Jill! I'm not going to kill you! I won't let you become a victim!''

A flare in her eyes told him this was getting too far.

''A victim? Look at us Chris! We already are!'' She seethed.

''So you've given up?!'' He shook her slightly to which she snarled.

''No!''

''Then why-?''

''I'm scared Chris!''

Her eyes struck him angrily then faded into something he had never seen in her.

Fear.

She must have sensed this from the look on his face because she broke eye contact. ''I'm scared.''

He took hold of her face and wiped away a tear. She looked surprised, she must not have noticed it. He held her chin up to make contact again. ''I'm scared too. Fuck Jill, I'm as scared as hell. Listen, like I said I won't let you turn into a zombie okay? And if something does happen, I would die before I forget you.'' He pressed her forehead to hers. ''Okay?''

She nodded. ''I'm sorry. I should stop being so negative.''

He laughed lightly. ''You should.''

When she smiled he thanked heavens she understood when he was just trying to ease the tension.

They pulled each other into an embrace and as they did Chris felt for sure he was in love with this women. He knew, though he couldn't say how, Jill felt that way too but there was unseen writing on the wall that read: 'Not yet.' So he would wait. Until he was seventy years old if he had to. He would always wait for her.

They fell back onto the bed, holding each other.

''Thanks Chris. Just so you know, the feelings mutual''

He kissed her on the top her head as she nuzzled into his chest and fell asleep within the minute.

Chris was deaf to the persistent rain and refused to sleep so he could hear Jill breathe.


End file.
